MANILA—The looming typhoon expected to hit Northern Luzon late Sunday or early Monday is threatening to alter the schedule of Manny Pacquiao’s last week of training in the country.
Sources said Team Pacquiao could be forced to finish its final week of training in Manila before leaving for Los Angeles on Oct. 23 for the final push of his preparations for his bout against Antonio Margarito next month.
The typhoon could also change plans for Pacquiao’s media day Monday. Top Rank chief Bob Arum is due to fly in early Saturday and then take a private plane to Baguio City, where Team Pacquiao has set up camp.
But reports that Typhoon Megi, which weather experts said may dump the same amount of rainfall on Northern Luzon as Typhoon Ondoy did on Metro Manila last year, will make landfall late Sunday or early Monday morning which could force Arum to change his itinerary.
Arum has already made plans to head for the country’s summer capital by land.
Trainer Freddie Roach, camp insiders said, has already aired concerns about possible landslides that might cut off routes out of Baguio City and delay Team Pacquiao’s travel plans.
The typhoon concerns come at a time when things are staring to click in Team Pacquiao, with the pound-for-pound king starting to hum in his preparations for the Margarito bout at Cowboys Stadium for the vacant WBC super welterweight title.
“Manny did great,” Ariza told the Inquirer after the pound-for-pound champ’s workout yesterday at Teacher’s Camp in Baguio City. “It was the best work I’ve seen all week.”
Pacquiao went 14 rounds on the punch-mitts with Roach even as Ariza said they didn’t want him to go any longer because they wanted to lessen the impact of intense workouts on Pacquiao’s injured foot.
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